THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, AUGUST 21, 2026

With a 23-year-old railway dream still held back by unresolved land issues, Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Department has stepped up efforts to clear the final hurdles before the ambitious Talcher-Bimalagarh rail project. Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee on Friday directed officials to accelerate the remaining land acquisition and transfer process, underscoring the need to put the long-awaited 149.78-km railway line firmly on the path to completion.

Chairing a high-level review meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan, Dr. Padhee took stock of the pending land acquisition issues that have slowed progress on the project approved in 2003-04. “Public interest must come first. Remaining land must be acquired and transferred free of obstacles without further delay so that construction can move at full speed,” Dr. Padhee emphasised.

The project requires 2,144.028 acres of land, of which 1,868.357 acres have already been acquired. However, 275.671 acres are yet to be secured, including 202.15 acres of private land, 13.7 acres of forest land and 59.821 acres of government land.

The meeting reviewed the status of Stage-I forest clearance, which is currently under process, along with the alienation of government land. Officials also examined pending compensation cases, court-related disputes and the transfer of land already acquired to the Railways, with an emphasis on resolving each issue without further delay.

The railway alignment passes through Anugola, Debagada and Sundaragada districts, areas that are expected to gain substantially from improved rail connectivity. Once operational, the project could provide a major boost to transportation, trade, mobility and economic activity in these relatively underdeveloped regions.

Railway Coordination Commissioner Kaustuv Dipta Pani, Debagada Collector Kabindra Kumar Sahu, Presiding Officer Abhijit Palei and other senior officers attended the review meeting.

Dr. Padhee called for stronger coordination among the departments concerned and time-bound action to settle the remaining bottlenecks. The renewed administrative push is aimed at ensuring that the long-pending project finally moves beyond files and formalities to construction on the ground, bringing the promise of a crucial rail link closer to reality.